Interview with Karina, the Founder of Sweaty Girl Society.
We're excited to share with you that last week we interviewed Karina, the founder of Sweaty Girl Society!
This is an awesome platform uniting women around the globe with hyperhidrosis. Sweaty Girl Society offers great resources to the community and we're glad to have Karina share her more about her journey with us.
Continue reading to find out Karina's answers to our questions!
1. Tell us about Sweaty Girl Society. What is it and why did you start it?
Sweaty Girl Society is an online community for women with hyperhidrosis! I launched it in 2024 first as an Instagram account, and then it grew from there into a website, a newsletter, and a free online membership community. Today we have several hundred members and we’re growing every day.
As someone who has had hyperhidrosis since childhood, I’ve always dreamed of starting something like Sweaty Girl Society.
Despite the fact that 5% or so of people have hyperhidrosis, you rarely hear it being talked about. In fact, due to the shame and stigma around sweating, most people with hyperhidrosis work really, really hard to hide their sweating.
As a result, it’s easy to feel isolated and alone when you suffer from it.
Sweaty Girl Society tries to change this.
With community at our core, my goal is to create a safe space for women with hyperhidrosis to come together and feel less alone. My goal is to promote a sense of hope, connection, and self-acceptance amidst the daily challenges of excessive sweating.
2. How long have you had hyperhidrosis for?
My earliest memory of hyperhidrosis dates back to when I was 10 years old. I remember being at a friend’s house for a sleepover. My hands wouldn’t stop sweating, and I didn’t know why. I thought maybe I was hot or nervous, but I didn’t feel like I was either. I kept going to the bathroom to run my hands under cold water and wipe them dry, but it didn’t work. In fact, this only made my hands more sweaty, red, and swollen. I remember feeling embarrassed and confused, and I hoped my friends wouldn’t notice.
For the next 30 years, I worked hard to hide my hyperhidrosis. I did get an official diagnosis in my early 20s, and I’ve tried most treatments with varying degrees of success.
When I turned 40, something in me shifted and I decided it was time to break my silence on hyperhidrosis – and so I founded Sweaty Girl Society.
3. What treatments have you tried that were most beneficial for you?
Different treatments have worked for me during different seasons of my life. However, there has never been one silver bullet treatment, which I think most people with hyperhidrosis will relate to.
For instance, in the summertime, when my hyperhidrosis is worse, I rely on antiperspirants and iontophoresis to keep my sweating (and the swelling that accompanies it) in check. When I was approaching my wedding day, I tried Botox to ease my nerves about sweating on my big day. At other times, I’ve gone with no treatments.
Where I am right now is that I’ll use treatments when I want to feel a greater sense of physical comfort. But I no longer use treatments to hide my sweat from others. I’m a sweaty girl, and that’s ok!
One thing I should add is that I’ll never try surgery. The risks of developing debilitating compensatory sweating is too great – and the surgery is now being banned in some countries.
4. Tell us more about your membership community and what we can find there?
The Sweaty Girl Society community is a free online membership community. To join, you simply create an account, and then you’re in!
There’s lots to explore, but at its core, our community offers a place for women with hyperhidrosis to discuss issues important to them, share their stories, and connect with others. We also offer exclusive discount codes, hyperhidrosis news, and access to additional resources.
The best part is there is a mobile app for it, so you can join from your mobile device while you’re on the go, or from your laptop or tablet at home – the choice is yours!
5. What resources does Sweaty Girl Society offer?
Apart from our community, our website offers lots of fun resources. We have a blog and also our popular 52 Secret Hyperhidrosis Hacks eBook and our 30-Day Hyperhidrosis Journal. Finally, we have a biweekly newsletter, and I’m working on launching a podcast in the coming months too!
6. What can we expect in your biweekly emails?
Our biweekly newsletter is fun! It’s delivered to your mailbox every other Sunday at 9:00am your local time, and it contains hyperhidrosis hacks, love notes, news, updates, and early access to free resources. If you’re interested in joining, you can subscribe here!
7. What can we expect from Sweaty Girl Society in the future?
Over the coming months, I’m going to be focused on continuing to grow our membership community, since that’s really where the magic happens!
Additionally, as mentioned, I’m working on launching a podcast, which I’m super excited about. It will be a video podcast available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, and it will feature conversations with guests about a wide variety of topics related to hyperhidrosis.
In the long term, my goal is to touch the lives of 1 million women with hyperhidrosis. Given that there are upwards of 385 million people with hyperhidrosis worldwide, I think this is very achievable.
Thanks Karina for your insight into Sweaty Girl Society and the amazing resources you're providing with your platform. It's so important for us to be able to share our knowledge about coping with hyperhidrosis and find strength in the fact that we're not alone.
Check out Sweaty Girl Society on Instagram too for relatable reels!
Got any questions? Leave a comment down below.